MIDDLEBURY — A Middlebury College student who removed American flags from campus set up to commemorate the lives lost in the Sept. 11 attacks has been suspended for a year.

Students set up about 3,000 flags, an annual tradition. A handful of people removed the flags and put them in garbage bags. Some said they were protecting Abenaki lands from desecration and addressing U.S. imperialism and genocide.

The college said in an Oct. 11 news release one of the people was identified as a student at the college. She acknowledged her participation. Another was a Canadian national and political activist who was invited to campus by the student. The others weren’t known.

The college’s community judicial board found the student, whose name wasn’t released, responsible for violating policies of conduct and respect.